Route Unknown
by XLuluX
Summary: A half deserted town off route 66 the flickering neon lights shining out across the vast expanse of nothing and the mellow sounds of Elvis leaking out from the crumbling old diner. The story of the towns folks lives on the route unknown.


The neon lights buzzed above our heads and faint music leaked out of the old jukebox in the diner, it was a hot night, too hot to be inside so Flo brought the fan out of the diner and we sat on the hoods of the cars.

The crickets chirped lazily and the moon seemed to hang limply in the sky, I couldn't even be bothered to lift my hand to wipe my hair away from my hot forehead. A coyote called across the night and I looked out across the hazy, vast expanse of red rock and patchy scrub land.

Victory stretched next to me and let out a groan.

"Flo I need another cold one," she moaned flapping her hand feebly in front of her face and the air stayed thick and clammy.

"Vick honey I'm not moving for no one," Flo said flopping back on her lawn chair in front of the fan the paper blowing out from it like waving arms.

"Hey Hope, Victory we need your help, the tractor's stuck we need some help pushing it," Connor said flicking his flash light around.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me," Victory said peeling her self off the hood of the chevy.

Connor rolled his eyes and shook his head before stalking off leading the way across the rocky terrain to the field.

"It's too hot to walk," I muttered under my breath as I felt a bead of sweat trickle down my back.

Alf and Doug were already attaching bungee ties to the tractor on to the old rusty pick up truck, the tractor was wedged in a big pothole, the ground was so dry at this time of year the fields became pretty scrub like and pot holes are inevitable.

"Get ready to haul girls," Alf said hopping in the cab.

The sounds of Elvis could still be heard coming from the diner across the still night and I inhaled deeply the muggy air before positioning myself behind the tractor.

Mud and dust sprayed at us as the tractors wheels spun in the dirt until it finally clunked up and out of the hole.

Victory clapped her hands together showering us with even more dust.

"I washed my hair last night," she said rubbing her hands on her jeans and kicking a loose stone.

"Go get cleaned up," Doug said as the others poked around the tractor to check nothing was broken, god knows we couldn't afford that.

Flo was still lying on her creaky lawn chair the fan whirring and blasting her with tepid air and my Grandma Lizzie was sitting next to her on lawn chair fanning herself with an old fan.

"You girls Belle's fried you up something nice inside you go eat it now, you can't have the weather putting you off your food," Flo said gesturing for us to go in.

There was egg and bacon waiting for us on the counter in the diner and Belle was dabbing at her forehead with a damp cloth.

"I hate this, I feel like having a bath in ice," Victory said shovelling food in her mouth.

Belle just smiled and went over to lie in one of the booths.

"I just hate it being too hot to sleep," I said spearing some egg on my fork.

"It's worse for me," Belle sighed patting her seven months pregnant belly,

"I'm going to go crazy in this heat."

"It must be hard," I said wiping my mouth on my sleeve.

"Yeah, well I'm going to have a cold bath," she said wiping her sticky hair back from her brow.

"Well I hope you get some sleep Belle," Victory said clattering out plates in the sink as Belle nodded and waddled out.

"I feel for her I really do," I said as I flipped the jukebox on to some lazy blues.

"It'll be worth it in the end," Victory said as she wiped the steel surface.

"And she used to think that she was going to get out of here…" Vick said.

Lizzie had gone to bed and Flo was just heading off to bed as well so I wondered over to the The Route Inn Grandma Lizzie's motel.

I drowsily clambered in the shower and doused myself in cold water and tried to wash out the red dust that clung to my hair.

I then turned on my old record player and listened to some classic king as the fireflies buzzed around the flickering neon's outside my window.

"_Love me tender,  
Love me sweet,  
Never let me go.  
You have made my life complete,  
And I love you so"._


End file.
